Boston—August, 2000—Tufts Health Care Institute (THCI) and Tufts Health Plan (Tufts Tufts HP) will hold their third Residency rotation for physicians-in-training: Preparing Residents to Succeed in Managed Care August 28-September 1 at the Tufts Health Plan Corporate Headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts. This rotation serves as a weeklong crash course in how to survive in the modern world of medicine, and gives local physicians-in-training a better look within the ‘black box’ that is managed care.

The curriculum, currently directed by Tufts Health Plan medical director Dr. John Freedman, MD, MBA and initially developed by fellow Tufts HP medical director, Dr. Jeffrey Levin-Scherz, MD, is designed to expose residents to the nitty-gritty details of behind the scenes operations in managed care organizations. Says Freedman of this year’s rotation, "Health care is changing rapidly, and while it is not clear what the future holds, it is clear that cost-effectiveness and quality will remain as important goals. This rotation is designed to help tomorrow’s practicing physicians succeed and to understand the system of health care delivery in this changing world."

This year, 20 residents from 7 residency programs throughout New England will sit in on mock utilization management meetings; and learn such things as the exact role and responsibilities of a mmedical director ways to develop leadership skills in a HMO setting; the use of information systems in a health care; and even receive a dose of what life is really like out in modern day community practice.

Jennifer Coplon, PhD, Director of Managed Care Programs for THCI, affirms the value of this rotation. Says Coplon, " We define managed care broadly, not as a payment or insurance mechanism. It is, rather, a philosophy that recognizes the realities of today’s practice. These include:

• financial constraints,
• accountability for caring for both individuals and populations,
• performance measurement and quality improvement, and
• the need for coordinated care."

Coplon continues, "The rotation demonstrates to residents that managed care offers many positive solutions in America’s increasingly sophisticated and costly health care environment. ‘Rightly practiced’ managed care, which students are able to see in action, attends simultaneously to quality and cost considerations as well as patient satisfaction."

The 29-member faculty is composed mainly of staff members of Tufts HP,: including the president and chief operating officer, Nancy Leaming, medical directors, and physicians. Additionally, the Tufts HP faculty will be joined by faculty from such places as McKessonHBOC, Tufts-New England Medical Center, and Northeastern University.

Many of these same faculty also participate in a related program—a fellowship run by THCI in conjunction with the American Medical Student Association that is designed to introduce medical students to managed care. This program, which has just completed its third year, runs throughout the summer, and gives students an opportunity to develop projects related to such key health care issues as disease management, quality improvement, cultural competency, serving the underserved and end of life care.